A 1944 Electromagnetic Radiation Poster Makes Learning Retro Chic

There are lots of interactions and fields around us all the time that we can't see. Like gravity. We can always count on gravity to be there when we trip and face plant. And we interact with all different frequencies on the spectrum of electromagnetic radiation every day, which is usually fine and sometimes deadly. And you might be feeling good about all this physical awareness, but don't. People have known about this stuff for a long time and they've been making unbelievably detailed infographics about it for at least 70 years.

The scientists/hoarders over at Lawrence Livermore National Labs (LLNL) in California discovered this aggressively comprehensive infographic about electromagnetic radiation in the back of an unused office. And instead of letting it sit there for a few more decades they pulled it out and took a 10,000 x 6,958 pixel scan so you can examine it in 107MBs of .jpg glory.

The poster covers the electromagnetic spectrum itself, gives examples of different types of radiation, provides information about their properties and applications, and generally goes through "wave characteristics." It's a lot to revisit after the traumas of high school, but if nothing else you can take in the '40s aesthetics and amazingly overstuffed approach to infographics. [GEEK]